Software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service are not distinct pieces, but rather a continuum that can be viewed as the cloud application layer, according to Dave Jilk, CEO of PaaS provider Standing Cloud.

Speaking to SD Times from Cloud Expo in New York today, he announced that Standing Cloud has entered into a partnership agreement with cloud infrastructure provider OpSource to offer a full cloud stack that can reduce the administrative burden of cloud services. The partnership creates an application layer for OpSource customers, who today can choose from a host of Web applications such as DotProject and SugarCRM, then use them with management tools built in to the platform.

Standing Cloud works by grabbing a clean server image from the selected cloud provider; if it’s an open-source application, scripts will automatically install Apache, MySQL, PHP and other software needed to support the application, according to the company. Jilk said applications can move to other cloud infrastructures easily, so long as the application conforms to standards regarding where code is located.

This, he said, provides an advantage over Windows Azure cloud, for example, because only Microsoft developers can write applications to that platform for now.

“There are no other languages there yet,” Jilk said. Rackspace Cloud Sites is just scalable shared hosting, while Google App Engine and Heroku do not provide access to the layers beneath the platform, he said. [Emphasis added.]

“Say you’re running SugarCRM on Standing Cloud,” Jilk [pictured at right] explained. “You could run it out of the box and use it as software-as-a-service. If you choose, you can dig down to the next layer and modify the application.” The platform even offers access to the underlying machine itself, enabling users to make configuration changes as required. This, though, comes with the risk of turning off other capabilities in the platform, he cautioned.

The Standing Cloud platform supports Java, PHP, Python and Ruby applications, so developers can use familiar IDEs to create applications that run on the cloud platform. “Developers would work locally and sync their code to the production or test server,” Jilk said. “The catchword folks are using is DevOps.”

He went on to say that to developers at small companies, DevOps means "the company didn’t bother to hire a sysadmin, so I have to do it. Developers want someone else to do it. It’s a different process. Developers don’t think of things the same way [as administrators]. Developers will get it to work, but it’ll be less secure and perform less well.”

As part of Microsoft’s continued commitment to interoperability, the Windows Azure platform has been built from the ground up with interoperability in mind. As an open platform, Windows Azure offers choices to developers. It allows them to use multiples languages (.NET, PHP, Ruby, Python or Java) and development tools (Visual Studio or Eclipse) to build applications which run on Windows Azure and/or consume any of the Windows Azure platform offerings from any other cloud or on premise platform. With its standards-based and interoperable approach, the Windows Azure platform supports multiple Internet protocols including HTTP, XML, SOAP and REST —key pillars of data portability. [Emphasis Microsoft’s.]

Interoperability made easier for developers

From the developer’s standpoint, interoperability creates opportunities to combine new Windows Azure cloud-based applications with other platforms. Developers can easily combine applications living on other clouds or on-premise using services offered by the Windows Azure platform. They can also build and enhance applications using their existing skills with the Microsoft Visual Studio development environment and the .NET Framework, or with other development environments like Eclipse. Developers have the choice of several languages for building their applications, including:

.NET (C# and Visual Basic), C++

PHP, Ruby, Python

Java,

In addition, interoperability with other platforms is made easier through community-based libraries:

Plug-in for Eclipse,

SDKs for Java, PHP, and Ruby.

Windows Azure supports the same set of languages that Jilk (@djilk) claims for Standing Cloud, plus .NET. Microsoft released the latest Windows Azure SDK for PHP v3.0.0 to CodePlex on 5/26/2011.

Users, Developers and Partners Now Have Even Greater Choice in How They Deploy, Access and Customize Sugar 6 in the Open Cloud

Washington, D.C. - July 13[, 2010] - SugarCRM, the world's leading provider of open source customer relationship management (CRM) software, today announced that Sugar 6 is now certified for deployment on the Microsoft Windows Azure platform. The announcement was made today at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference here, and coincides with general availability of Sugar 6, the latest release of the most intuitive, flexible and open CRM system on the market today.

With the availability of Sugar 6 on Windows Azure, SugarCRM developers and end-users now have greater choice in deploying and developing Sugar 6 in the cloud. Users and developers can enjoy the ease of cloud-based deployments while having complete control over their data and application, unlike the limitations placed on users and developers in older multi-tenant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) deployment options. …

I’m not an attorney, but it’s my understanding that Jilk’s highlighted statement is slanderous because it was spoken. If Jilk were to publish the same statement in writing, it would be libelous.

The dual Web role application has been running in Microsoft's South Central US (San Antonio) data center since September 2009. I believe it is the oldest continuously running Windows Azure application.

About Me

I'm a Windows Azure Insider, a retired Windows Azure MVP, the principal developer for OakLeaf Systems and the author of 30+ books on Microsoft software. The books have more than 1.25 million English copies in print and have been translated into 20+ languages.

Full disclosure: I make part of my livelihood by writing about Microsoft products in books and for magazines. I regularly receive free evaluation software from Microsoft and press credentials for Microsoft Tech•Ed and PDC. I'm also a member of the Microsoft Partner Network.